Is the messenger the message? Canadian political affiliation and other predictors of mask wearing frequency & attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

We used a longitudinal design to examine factors associated with Canadians' (1) early adoption of maskwearing and (2) attitudes toward mask mandates before mandatory mask mandates were issued. In May 2020, 1,712 Canadians began a 28-day daily diary study tracking their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the associations between people's political affiliation, psychological reactance, pre-existing risk factors, attitudes about the pandemic's severity, attitudes about mask mandates, and public mask-wearing frequency. Growth curve analyses indicated that, over time, Canadians' mask-wearing frequency and attitudes supporting mask mandates both increased. Those who perceived the pandemic as more serious had higher initial levels of both positive attitudes about mask mandates and mask-wearing frequency. Political affiliation was an important predictor of mask mandate attitudes, but only after May 20th, 2020: The first day Prime Minister Trudeau and Teresa Tam publicly stated they would be wearing masks in public. Subsequently, more liberally leaning participants reported more positive attitudes toward mask mandates compared to those with more conservative political views. These findings suggest the importance of cohesive, non-partisan messaging during a public health crisis to avoid political fractures in the uptake of recommended health behaviours. We provide recommendations for public health messengers toward improving voluntary compliance with public health measures, both during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Significance StatementWe examined predictors of Canadian's face mask wearing frequency and attitudes toward mask mandates in May-July of 2020, before face mask policies were widely supported across the country. Overall, people who perceived greater risk to themselves in relation to the virus (older people, people who viewed the pandemic as a serious situation, people with pre-existing health conditions), people who identified as politically liberal, and racialized people were more likely to report greater mask wearing frequency and endorsement of mask mandates. Political affiliation was an important predictor of mask mandate attitudes, but only after May 20th, 2020: The day Prime Minister Trudeau and Teresa Tam publicly stated they would be wearing masks in public; subsequently, more liberally leaning participants reported more positive attitudes towards mask mandates compared to those with more conservative political views.

Effect of Attitudes Toward Masks on Group Formation

“…If males potentially are more likely to be anti-mask, then a larger female sample size may have an impact on our results. Some studies reported that slightly older males are more likely to be anti-mask, while others found no significant impact of gender on mask-wearing attitudes and behaviors (Courtice et al, 2023;Howard, 2021). The gender analysis of the current sample did not indicate any influence of gender on the pro-or anti-mask attitudes or behaviors.…”

“…Courtice and colleagues (2023) found that prior to the first public statements from the Canadian government regarding masking, beliefs about the severity of the pandemic were positively related to both mask wearing and attitudes about mask mandates. In addition, those who faced an increased risk of severe COVID-19 due to pre-existing health conditions reported more frequent mask wearing (Courtice et al, 2023). Women also initially reported higher mask wearing than men, however, subsequent studies have failed to find a link between gender and mask-wearing behavior, suggesting that gender is not a consistent predictor of mask-wearing behavior (Courtice et al, 2023;Howard, 2021).…”

“…Wearing a mask may also signal information about an individual's group membership. Mask and vaccine mandates have been polarizing topics throughout the pandemic and there is evidence that people's perceptions about the severity of the pandemic, and their political views have influenced both mask-wearing behavior and attitudes about mask mandates (Courtice et al, 2023;Kahane, 2021;Wegemer & von Keyserlingk, 2022). Courtice and colleagues (2023) found that prior to the first public statements from the Canadian government regarding masking, beliefs about the severity of the pandemic were positively related to both mask wearing and attitudes about mask mandates.…”

“…In addition, those who faced an increased risk of severe COVID-19 due to pre-existing health conditions reported more frequent mask wearing (Courtice et al, 2023). Women also initially reported higher mask wearing than men, however, subsequent studies have failed to find a link between gender and mask-wearing behavior, suggesting that gender is not a consistent predictor of mask-wearing behavior (Courtice et al, 2023;Howard, 2021). Courtice and colleagues (2023) found that following a public statement from the government recommending masks, political affiliation predicted attitudes regarding mask mandates, with those who rated themselves as more politically liberal tending to have more favorable attitudes.…”

The Competing Influence of Policy Content and Political Cues: Cross-Border Evidence from the United States and Canada

“…It is worth considering how attitudes toward the pandemic may overshadow concerns relating to immigration or for the border closure more broadly. Across both countries, citizens with right-leaning or conservative orientations tend to express less concern for the public health crisis and greater reluctance to comply with precautionary measures (Clinton et al 2021;Courtice et al 2021;Druckman et al 2021). These same groups of individuals tend to favor restrictionist border policies (Gravelle 2018b) like the one that Trudeau and Trump implemented to help mitigate COVID.…”